Nights Like These
by Prose Vanity
Summary: Because often the best things in life happen at night. #5: A conversation in the middle of the night between Natsume and Ruka, in which speaks of Mikan and what he truly thinks of her.
1. 10: The Plus Side to Arguments

**Ashy-note** I got this weird idea for a fic set simply because I reread _Just Another Night_ and ideas came to my head. Fic title was also taken from _A Desire For Her_'s chapter 7. :D

Genres range from Angst to Humor and beyond, and there's only one pairing (NxM) but eventually I'll throw in some of the generic ones (maybe even until TonoRui - _squeaaaaaal_). I'll be chronological about this, so I'll start with ten years old, growing older and older every time. Chapters will be preceded by their ages, so you won't really get confused much. Aiming for 30 chapters at least. Any prompts you might want to suggest, write in a review or PM me, I'm happy either way!

Read, review, enjoy. (:

-/-

**Nights Like These  
><strong>_Because often the best things in life happen at night._

* * *

><p><strong>Title<strong>: The Plus Side to Arguments  
><strong>AgeTime Frame: **10 years old  
><strong>Rated<strong>: K – K+**  
>Genre<strong>: Friendship, Comfort  
><strong>Notes<strong>: Change of omniscient view in the middle is intended, so it isn't just a grammatical mistake. (:

* * *

><p>It had been weeks since she came to the Academy and reunited with her best friend. Weeks since she'd found her Alice. Weeks since she'd played the dodge ball game against Natsume. Weeks since her Single Star promotion.<p>

Or was it months? She couldn't really remember, but she was sure it was a long time already. So… She was bound to get home sick sometimes, right?

Plopping out of her single-star bed, she clambered through her window and stepped out onto the rooftop of the Elementary Division Dormitory. The sky was a clear shade of dark blue, and the stars that littered all over its navy canvas glowed merrily at her.

She always loved the sky at night.

Everything was quiet and somehow, the place reminded her of her hometown.

_I wonder what Jii-chan's doing? Hm… He's probably asleep, snoring loudly as always. _She smiled a little at the thought, but no later had the tears made their way out again, and just like other nights before, she found herself crying.

It wasn't that she regretted her decision of coming here, and neither was it because she didn't think of the consequences before deciding to run off alone — hare-brained she might be labeled and intuitive she might be, but the choice of setting off to find Hotaru she actually gave a lot of thought. She knew she'd be leaving the comforts of home and the watermelons and the feeling of her own futon and blanket, and of course, her beloved grandfather. But still, giving the matter a lot of thought didn't stop it from hurting, or from making her lonely every now and then.

Sure, she was cheerful and strong and head-on stubborn as a mule, but still… she was only ten years old.

She missed the way her grandfather would sing her to sleep at night, even though he was barely in tune.

She didn't notice the sound of shingle-ish hitting bare feet, so naturally she was surprised to find the young man standing beside her, gazing up at the stars as well.

"Hello, Natsume-kun," she said in a tiny voice, wiping the tears off sloppily on her sleeves and propping her chin against her drawn knees, staring down at the bricks of the roof.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" she heard him ask. He breathed out, then she felt him sit beside her and she looked at him curiously. He had one leg stretched out, the other folded at an angle, and his arms were supporting the rest of his body as he leaned back on them while keeping his crimson gaze at the starry velvet above them.

She thought he looked so relaxed it was almost as if he was a completely different person.

He flashed his eyes at her but she didn't look away. Instead of asking the same question again, he only spoke nonchalantly to her. "Why are you staring at me, ugly? Don't look at me like that, not while you're eyes are crying and your nose is spewing mucus."

She smiled wanly at him but didn't give a reply and she looked up at the stars as well.

"It's not like you to be so quiet."

Again, she smiled, this time punctuated by a little sniff; she was still crying, but only a little now. "It's not like you to be so persistent either, Natsume-kun," she told him, turning around to look at him with doe eyes that sparkled with tears.

"Hn."

They elapsed into a silence that surprised both… it wasn't exactly a comfortable silence, but it wasn't hostile either. It felt like the eye of the storm to her, and she thought it must be the same with him…

Nonetheless, it was a peaceful kind of sadness.

He, Natsume, however, was a little surprised about it. Never has a moment passed when they didn't exchange heated words, and a few weeks (days and nights both) of the same practice had led him to the inevitable adaptation to the routine.

He just watched her as she childishly watched the stars, and he felt a little nostalgic at the way her loose chocolate-blonde hair fluttered gently with the wind's midnight melody.

That exact moment, she reminded him, in an incomprehensible way, of his missing childhood.

"Something's wrong with you, polka dots," he said, in an attempt to strike up a conversation. It was unlike him, but somehow he disliked her being so out-of-character. Weird enough, he liked it better when she was Mikan-ly noisy. "What is it?"

He didn't expect her to answer properly, but now he was getting used to the idea that she was never going to be anything he could predict.

"I miss my grandpa," she told him in a squeaky voice. "I miss home…"

He sighed out before setting fire to her hair.

"Natsume-kun!" she screeched, patting the loose threads to kill the fire, "don't do that! You're wasting your Alice!"

He was a little surprised—even at that moment, she was still able to think of something other than herself?

"You've only been here for five months and you already miss home?" he said when he had put the fire out and resumed to his star gazing. "Don't you think that's a little selfish? It was your own mulish decision to come here after all."

"Mou, Natsume-kun," she mumbled, shifting slightly so that she was sitting exactly beside him, "I know what I did, I just…"

She sighed resignedly. "You're right," she said again. He subtly glanced at her and saw another threat of tears looming.

"I always am."

She snorted a little despite almost crying. "Arrogant jerk."

"Childish idiot," he said in reply.

"Perverted maniac."

"Strawberries."

She looked at him, "That's getting old, you know."

"Never with me," he told her, standing up and placing his hands inside his pajama's pockets. "I'm calling you that forever."

She stared up at him, eyes still watery, then flashed her usual heart-melting smile.

Seriously, how could she smile so much? The thought baffled him greatly.

He looked at her for no longer than a second then turned to look at the stars again. "Hn."

"Thank you, Natsume-kun," she whispered gently. He got a little confused, and he looked down at her and saw the smile still on her face. "Thank you for what? I didn't even do anything."

"You argued with me."

"Yes, and that's a gift from the gods, I'm sure," he said, rolling his eyes at her answer. Sometimes the girl was just so naïve.

"No, but it made me happy at least," she replied sweetly.

"I never knew you had such a messed-up humor system, polka."

She frowned then turned away from him. "Never knew you had such a thing for deflecting appreciations, pervert."

Out of her sight, he let slip a tiny smile. Of course, _of course_ he knew their arguments were such a mood-lifter. He felt the euphoric effects of it as well! Well, sometimes…

Not that he really enjoyed it, of course, but there are always exceptions…

"Go to sleep," he said again. "You're grandfather will be fine. You, however, will not be if you continue sulking. So sleep. Tomorrow you'll be back to your stupid self again."

He stood behind her and she looked up at him again to flash him another vibrant smile. His insides melted a little.

"Thank you again, Natsume-kun."

He stuck out his tongue at her and left, but not before giving her one last thing to smile about.

"You're welcome, Youjo."

* * *

><p><em>Hope you liked it!<em>

_~Ash._


	2. 10: You Could Love the Rain

**Ashy-note **Thanks for the reviews from the previous chapter, guys. Appreciate it much. :D

-/-

**Nights Like These**

**-;-**

**You Could Love the Rain**  
><em>An unwritten story beyond that one Christmas kiss,<br>in which Natsume learns how he could actually  
>love the rain that he hated — and naturally, it was because of her. Again.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Title<strong>: You Could Love the Rain  
><strong>Time Frame:<strong> 10 years old, Christmas season  
><strong>Rated:<strong> K+  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Romance/Friendship  
><strong>Notes:<strong> Takes place right after the kiss, remember? :D

* * *

><p>Sometimes you could not believe yourself, really.<p>

You _kissed_ her. You actually _kissed _her!

And this time it wasn't a tooth kiss!

Well, not exactly, but… but still! You kissed her!

You actually feel a little disgusted at yourself because you're really so love sick and worked up about the kiss, but you can't even help yourself. For the last two nights you've been sleepless and up on the roof replaying the stupid moment over and over again.

This is the third night, and still you find yourself standing and gazing at the same stars who you think by now must be laughing themselves stupid at how you keep thinking about a certain polka-dotted panties girl and how you kissed her into losing her mind (not that it would have been any use at the moment, you think to yourself).

There were threats of rain close at hand to the east, but you ignore it and gaze at the midnight sky anyway.

You can't help but feel guilty. You had promised to let Ruka through, but the idea that he actually kissed Mikan first was something you cannot let past unnoticed. It was immature, sure, you know it was, but you can't help yourself.

Somehow, you have this feeling that you'll do anything for that girl.

You smile to yourself.

How in the whole wide world of seven continents did she happen to find you and get under your skin so easily? All your life in the Academy (not that you've lived a long one already)… and then she comes and blows you off with just one damn _smile_.

Sometimes you couldn't help but wonder why things like these have happened since she arrived.

_Maybe she's a miracle,_ you muse.

After all you've done, you must have done one good thing to make the Divine Creator give you someone like her.

Yet again, you smile, if only to yourself.

The thunder rolls and without so much as a warning, the rain falls down hard on you and you are forcibly reminded of the mission you'll be taking tomorrow night.

_What a way to dampen good spirits. And right after Christmas, too._

Literally dampen.

You stare up at the sky and mulling it over you realize you could never really love the rain that much. Not only was it your elemental arch-nemesis, being the fire Alice and all that, you hate it because it makes you sloppily wet and although it diffuses your raging power, it still wouldn't make a good impression on you. Especially now, when it had so damned-ly interrupted your good spirits.

In the midst of your thoughts you realize how you were drying up. You stare up in surprise—no drops were falling down on you. For a moment you actually think the rain has stopped, but around you there was still a misty curtain of water falling, and you understand everything when a voice floated through the pitter-patter of raindrops and you freeze in shock for a moment.

"You know, being a fire Alice doesn't make you immune to the fever after the rain, stupid."

You look up and see her smiling angelically at you and your heart skips a beat.

You grunt. "Tch. What are you doing up so late?"

She flashed you another beaming smile, larger than the last. "You need to answer the same question, Natsume."

You feel your heart promptly stop when you hear how she's dropped the _–kun_ part. "I don't need to answer to you, youjo."

"I don't recall that being the case, pervert. I was only trying to be nice."

You close your eyes—you wonder why you have to be so rude to her even though you want to just see her smile.

_You're nice enough, strawberries, you don't need to be more than that, _you think so sadly to yourself. _In fact, you're more than enough already._

Suddenly, you feel the rain falling cold and yet warm at the same time, and you find yourself drenched again.

When you open your eyes, you see her smiling face inches from yours, a beatific smile on her rain-splashed face. Her skin seemed to glow in the darkness of the night and you can't help but marvel at her beauty—you can't wait until she's older, can't wait until you see her at her full beauty, and honestly? You can't wait until she takes your breath away so much more than now.

"You owe me one kiss, you jerk," she says to you. Your eyes widen for a moment, but before you could give it another thought, she catches you by surprise when she so lightly places her lips against your cheeks.

It was pure, innocent, and yet your insides imploded at the slightest contact.

The rain fell even harder, and soon you find yourself being pulled up by her, dragged by her, to a silly dance at the rooftop. You know the racket might awaken all the other students, but somehow you couldn't care less.

You watch as she spins and whirls around and around, she giggles like a baby, she smiles at you and her eyes glisten and slant until they were just tiny slits in her happiness.

_Such a child._

You finally made up your mind about something you questioned a while ago, because you really think, _Yes, she is a miracle for me._

For the third time that night, you smile.

So maybe you could really love the rain after all.

* * *

><p><em>It was only a kiss on the cheek, because it would something else completely if she kissed him on the lips. Mikan just isn't like that. (:<em>

_~Ash._


	3. 11: Damn Those Fireworks

**Ashy-note **Dedicated to Maria and Ate Elena. (:

* * *

><p>--

**Nights Like These**

**-;-**

**Damn Those Fireworks  
><strong>_Natsume Hyuuga is jealous. Of fireworks._

* * *

><p><strong>Title: <strong>Damn Those Fireworks  
><strong>Time Frame: <strong>11 years old, Mikan's 11th birthday  
><strong>Rated: <strong>K+  
><strong>Genre: <strong>Humor  
><strong>Notes: <strong>I kind of forgot how the manga went when they were younger, so this is practically a blind-shot. :D Enjoy?

* * *

><p>You watch as she squeals in delight while Yuu and Koko slowly pull her out of the dormitories into the party the gang had made at the back of the buildings. Anna and Nonoko giggle, Hotaru is as stoic as ever, but Ruka keeps sending you furtive glances, as if thinking something highly inappropriate for the occasion.<p>

You hear her tiny baby laugh again, paired with the high-pitched voice that keeps saying "What are you guys up to?". The sound annoys you to no end, but somehow, you think it's cute. So you like it anyway, and somehow you don't mind.

Koko looks at you sheepishly. You feel the sudden need to slap yourself, then you make amends by re-thinking your previous thoughts.

_Well, no one could blame me for being a kind soul and sparing her if only just for today, right? __Right. Because today is the idiot's eleventh birthday._

You snort.

_Birthdays. Who cares, anyway? It takes you one step closer to getting older, so why is it something to smile about?_

"Because it means you're another year alive, Natsume," Koko whispers to you. "I think you would know how that's something to be thankful for."

You're a little surprised that Yome could create such reflections. "Hn," is all that you say, but Koko knows better. You know Koko knows you think he _did_ have a point.

Koko leaves you alone, and you sit down on the grass while listening to them shout out the surprise for the baka.

"_Happy birthday Mikan-chan!"_

You hear her never-ending "Thank you" and with but a moment's worth to look, you see the smile on her face again. The gang brings out the enormous birthday cake cooked by Umenomiya, and you watch as she gasps in glee. You think you've never met someone as small and thin yet as much a voracious eater as her. The party commences; you sit in the shadows of the clearing, just watching. Watching her.

You feel the presence of someone standing behind you but you don't move.

"Shouldn't you at least acknowledge her birthday?" she says to you, poking you in the back with her toe.

You round on her with nonchalant eyes then stare. "Isn't my being here enough?" you starkly say to Imai. She gives you a rather sinister knowing look, but all she speaks out to you is, "Have it your way, Hyuuga."

"Hn."

Not long after that short conversation you notice people starting to leave one by one for the lamest excuses. Of course, you knew the reason behind and the perpetrator of the stupid plan.

Imai gives you her "_You owe me one" _look and you can't help but feel annoyed and a little worn out by this practice that had sprung up between the two of you.

Still, you feel a little grateful.

Soon, only you and the birthday girl, clad in the simple red dress you picked out for her, were left out. She smiles at you again, that damn blinding smile of hers, and plops down right next to you and gawks at the sky.

"I like the dress." She looks at you with big, big brown eyes that sparkle. You look away, thankful for the darkness, because you're _pretty sure_ your face looks like a big red button.

"You should. That's seven hundred and fifty rabbits," is all you can come up with. For a smart kid, you always fall short of your witty remarks because of her, it's sometimes unfair and completely irrational to you.

"No can do," she says to you again, the smile still etched on her angeli—_immature_ features. "This is my birthday present, which means I don't pay for it."

"Who told you it's a present?" you shoot back at her. You find familiarity in the sudden argument, and you know you like it when you two fight over trivial things like now. "It's a loan, strawberries. And loans aren't for free."

"I don't care. Loan it to me forever, then."

"Fine."

She looks at you — again — and you yourself can't help but feel a little surprise at your words. They were very unexpected…

You both lapse into a hush. She stares at the sky, you stare at her.

There it is again, the stupidly-comfortable silence that always came between the two of you whenever left alone. You wonder why it always happens. But then you shrug it off, because there is something more… _disturbing_… at hand this very moment.

You are being ignored. The sky suddenly got bright with pyrotechnic explosions only a while ago, so now she barely notices your presence. She gapes at the sky and yells in enjoyment at the brilliant show.

Your moment a while ago just got ruined!

And of course, you will not settle for that!

In your fit, you put out the fire from the fireworks and then they all die down with a feeble _whizzzzz._

She moans a little, and then you resume your usual bickering. Everything falls back into place, just like minutes ago, and your friends who are at the rooftop are at a loss for reasons as to why their explosive display suddenly went down the drain. Imai, you think, must have realized it already, and so did Ruka, but you do not care.

You are going to be interrogated later, you're sure of it, but you have your reasons.

One, the ruckus will wake up the entire academy.

Two, there were rain clouds looming, so it would have stopped the show anyway. You just made things a little easier.

Three, you were annoyed at how the baka keeps on yelping beside you.

But the real reason you will always deny.

Because naturally, you would never admit to yourself that you just got jealous over fireworks.

* * *

><p><em>Hahahahahaha. I know. Completely off! But IDC. Review? :D<em>

_~Ash_


	4. 11: The Way He Sees It

**Ashy-note **Dedicated to Andy. (:

-/-

**Nights Like These**

**-;-**

**The Way He Sees It  
><strong>_An arrogant display of Natsume Hyuuga's correct views about everyone.  
>Because everyone knows Natsume Hyuuga knows everything,<br>but nobody ever knew he also knew everyone._

* * *

><p><strong>Title: <strong>The Way He Sees It  
><strong>Time Frame: <strong>11 years old  
><strong>Rated: <strong>K  
><strong>Genre: <strong>Humor/Friendship  
><strong>Note: <strong>Yuu's point of view but mainly Natsume gently nudging on an HxR. (:

* * *

><p>Class B is in an uproar, wrecking havoc to Natsume Hyuuga's room. And the cause, you think to yourself, wasn't even worth it.<p>

Seriously.

All Natsume did was smile a Mona Lisa smile at Ruka, who then blushed deep, _deep _red and toppled over to Mikan, who had been eating instant noodles and who spilled the latter on an unsuspecting Mochu, who was asleep and was jerked awake by the hot liquid that spilled over him which _then_ caused him to unconsciously levitate Koko, who flew straight towards Nonoko, who then sprayed a Babbling Potion on Hotaru, who was now talking non-stop (and was obviously bound to kill someone later), like her best friend who gawked at her disbelievingly.

This night-time group study wasn't going well.

You couldn't help but sigh. Sometimes you wonder how you manage to put up with all these rowdy, half-demented classmates of yours.

What was it that Natsume was aiming for, anyway? All that ever happened before he smiled mysteriously and triggered the disastrous chain events was that Mikan had suggested for the group to have an ice breaker in the form of a game of Truths and Truths. (Dares weren't allowed, Mikan said, because obviously the people who chicken out won't be getting fair to those who became courageous people and chose truths. Always the diplomat, Mikan was— a champion of democracy and equality. Also a hypocrite, as Hotaru pointed out, because she happened to always open the 'Dare' portion when she knew she was about to be called, and she always chose 'Dare' herself.)

You rise up from the chair, abandoning your whiteboard markers and your lecture on Analytical Geometry (you were in the middle of discussing the hyperbolic equation and its origins) to fetch some food from the kitchen while waiting for the rest of them to settle down.

With one foot inside kitchen territory, however, you freeze, accidentally eavesdropping on a conversation between two males. You never really noticed them leave a while ago.

"—really don't understand why you had to _smile_ like that," murmurs a disgruntled Ruka. You peek into the room and see Natsume leaning casually against the island kitchen counter, his back to you. "I mean, what is it with you and the _horrible_ idea of setting me up with Imai?"

You double back a bit—did you hear that _right?_ Natsume's playing match maker? For Ruka and Imai-san?

No way. Even Natsume would never be that good.

"I am not, Ruka," you hear Natsume say. You watch slowly, your head creeping along the frame of the doorway, the conversation capturing your attention (although your good side is telling you to stop because it's basically against the rules of ethics and it isn't so nice to be eavesdropping on people).

("Look at Iinchou," Koko whispers to Mochu. You don't notice, but the two suddenly start creeping along towards you to listen in too.

And suddenly everyone else follows…)

"Sure you aren't," bites back the blonde in deepest sarcastic tones. "It was just _pure_ coincidence that you pushed me into her last Tuesday, and you just _happened_ to leave us alone in the middle of a hallway because you needed to _study_" —You smirk a little at this; Natsume Hyuuga _never_ studied— "and, wait! Oh, yes, _of course_ it was a coincidence that you just _happened _to have forced me to sleep beside her tonight, after having _forced_ me to attend this midnight lecture about circles and half-oblongs!"

"Parabolas."

"I don't _care_!"

You watch Natsume smirk as he prepares a sandwich. (At this you raise an eyebrow—Natsume Hyuuga knew how to make a nice sandwich, indeed.)

"Look, why are you all riled up, Ruka?" says Natsume, a small boyish grin in his face.

(If you had even bothered looking behind you you'd have seen that Koko and Mochu were joined by Sumire and Mikan, the former swooning at the two boys clad only in jersey shirts and pajamas, the latter swooning over the sandwich Natsume was making.)

(You look back to the living room. The television was turned on noisily, Hotaru was reading a book, Anna and Nonoko were chatting. No harm done, you think, then you resume to listening in. It's quite fun, you think to yourself.)

(And then later you feel a little guilty.)

"_Because!_" Ruka hisses, loud enough to be a whisper. You grin at the exchange. "Who do you think you are? Natsume you don't know me! Neither do you know Imai and I pretty much doubt you knowing everyone else as well, except for Mikan."

(Sumire clicks her tongue.)

"Really?" says Natsume mockingly. He jumps on top of the counter and begins tearing off parts of his sandwich while amusedly staring at the flustered Ruka. You notice a quick sidelong glance at your part and for a moment you wonder if he saw you.

(Koko answers your mental question. "Hah! Natsume knows we're _here!_" he whispers excitedly from above you. You look up and feel a little shocked to see them lined up atop your head. "_And he says I should shut up or else he'll—!_ Oh. Oh. Right. Right. _Yessir_. I'll do that.")

"_Yes!_ So it would be nice if you stopped pushing me to her!"

The flame caster looks at him long and fiercely, as if in deep thought. "If I tell you everything I know about the nine people in this room tonight, would you let me be?"

Ruka looks so out of his mind, and so you aren't surprised (though you _are_ a bit exasperated) that Ruka valiantly said yes.

You watch as Natsume's grin widens. "Fine."

What you heard next completely creeped the living organisms out of you.

He begins, with…

"Yome." (Koko swallows upon hearing his name.) "He likes Umenomiya. He likes her cookies. He likes her thoughts. He listens to her conversations. He likes her pink hair. He likes pink. But he has this attraction for the cat-dog. I'm giving it a few years and then he'll cave in and declare undying love in the most stupidly unromantic way, because Yome is tactless and immature and clumsy. He spills liquid on a completely straight walkway. He screams when everyone whispers. He has a fixation for the most boring jokes in existence. Thinks he's funny, but he isn't. He likes blueberries. He is jealous of my manga collection and he wishes he had your soft, blonde hair."

(Koko's eyes were round as saucers when you look at him. "How on Mars… did he… know that?")

Ruka was stunned into silence. You watch as he idly and rather unconsciously sips from his glass of orange juice, blue eyes round as his teacup saucer.

Natsume opens his mouth to speak again.

"Shouda."

(Sumire squeaks excitedly. Her head, you actually know, is filled with images of Natsume's pretty remarks. Well, she was going to be dead wrong, you think to yourself.)

"Shouda has eyelash extensions. She likes me. She's dead head over heels for me. She is also partial to you. She likes cinnamon and she secretly has a stash of catnip under her drawer" —at which Sumire squawks in shock— "and she hates Yome but loves him just the same. She loves Mikan, adores her actually, and even though everyone knows she's a pompous prat, Shouda is actually nice. She strolls around Central Town alone sometimes and takes all stray cats and dogs to your little shelter."

Ruka, for a moment, looks mildly surprised. "Oh," he says, "so that explains the exponential growth of animals in my shelter…"

"Yes, and though she thinks Yome is an idiot, she likes him like that. Once Yome proposes to her, the first thing she'll do is slap him, then cry and said 'Yes, you dunce, of course.'"

Ruka takes a deep swig from his orange juice. "How do you know all these?"

"I have my sources. Next on the list? I wonder…"

(Koko swallows as Sumire glances down on him accusingly. "You _like_ me, you twit?" she asks her. You snigger a little but you get stopped when Natsume says—)

"Right. Yuu."

("Oh, _shit_," you find yourself saying. Koko gasps, "You cursed!" and everyone slaps the mind reader and you all had to hide lest Ruka sees you and Natsume kills you. A few seconds later, you pop your heads back in and listen.)

"—got a weird thing for the Chemistry Alice because he likes Science and likes her blue hair. Yuu's sense of responsibility isn't fake, but his patience is. He hates how Yome is so nosy and he wishes he could be like me, so calm. He likes Polka Dots, had a crush on her since God-knows-when. Likes Imai too. Hates Math, hates Jinno, but he doesn't show it because he's not supposed to show it. Over-all, he's a nice kid and everyone thinks so."

"That wasn't much," Koko grumbles. "He never said anything rashly true about Iinchou!"

(You fee a little relieved that you had just helped Natsume in his homework a fortnight ago.)

You listen on and hear Natsume say all sorts of prophetic things about all of you. He mentions Mochu's habits, scrutinizes how Anna's insecurities are so obvious, tells of Nonoko's weird ways with you…

You swallow a lot when Natsume says, "I personally believe Ogasawara and Yuu make a good duo."

In your mind you're running thousands of possibilities on how Natsume could have ever so possibly found out about those countless of things that most of you never even told anyone in your entire lives. For him to know what goes on in everyone's minds, despite the fact that he's no mind reader like Koko, is so… _shocking_ that up until now, you can't move on from what he said about you. Shame that you didn't hear the first parts of it, though.

Ruka's voice drifts to the forefront of your thoughts and you hear his next words.

"What about Mikan?"

Natsume smiles a devilish smile, Koko howls with laughter and runs off to the bed, and Mikan blushes a deep, deep maroon.

"Why don't we resume our little talk some other time, Ruka?"

The cheater, you think to yourself.

Hours later, in the middle of the night, when everyone had fallen asleep, you hear the Fire talking about Sunshine herself...

* * *

><p><em>To be continued… (:<br>~Ash._


	5. 11: Sunshine and Butterflies

**-/-**

**Nights Like These**

**-;-**

**Sunshine and Butterflies  
><strong>_A conversation in the middle of the night  
>between Natsume and Ruka,<br>in which speaks of Mikan, and what he thinks of her._

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>Sunshine and Butterflies  
><strong>Time Frame:<strong> 11 years old  
><strong>Rated:<strong> K  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Friendship  
><strong>Note:<strong> Sequel to chapter 4, The Way He Sees It

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><p>In the middle of the night, Yuu awoke to hushed sounds that sounded like muffled speech from somewhere to his right. He stirred a bit, turning in that direction to presumably tell them off for staying up too late given that they still had classes and exams in the morning, but his hears caught words that made it impossible to say words to stop the conversation.<p>

"—because I don't get why you didn't want to reveal to us what you knew about Mikan!"

"Keep your voice down, Ruka, we might wake them up."

Yuu smiled a bit and recalled how Natsume had changed the subject hours ago, when he was asked to reveal what he knew about Mikan (after having so frankly enlisted his knowledge about the others, except Hotaru, of course), and he found it immensely amusing how the best friends chose this time of night to talk about. And just when they think they're out of earshot, here is Yuu Tobita, listening in.

Until, that is, Koko awakens as well and pokes Mochu, who grunts and wakes Anna and Nonoko.

"Ruka, we don't have to talk about that annoying brat." That brat, by the way, was sleeping like a rock atop Natsume's bed, right beside Hotaru.

"No, we don't. It isn't _obvious_, perhaps, that you had evidently taken a liking to her, but why should we be talking about what you know about her? No, of course there is no reason to talk about her when we _all _know you—"

"She likes you. You more than me."

Yuu heard Ruka's sharp intake of breath, and with a feeble excuse of groaning he turned over, catching a glimpse of the two boys in the process. They were seated at the couch. Ruka held a sleeping Usagi in his lap, while Natsume mindlessly scanned through the pages of another manga.

"You know she doesn't like me the way she likes you," Ruka blurted out. Yuu could have smiled. Among all things in the world to come between the best friends, it had to be a girl.

"'_An annoying, loud, obnoxious one at that',"_ he heard someone whisper behind him. He jerked awake and saw Koko's yellow eyes looking at him amusedly, evidently listening in as well. "Let's just listen."

"You're supposed to be asleep!"

"Well, I'm not. Mochu and Anna and Nonoko are awake as well." Koko grinned. Yuu grew alarmed.

"What? _We'll get killed if they find out we're awake!_ Koko—"

"Did you hear that?" Ruka suddenly said. Yuu zipped his mouth and held his breath. "I heard whispering. Did you hear that?"

From the corners of his eyes Yuu saw Natsume shrug. "Probably one of the guys talking in their sleep."

"Oh, right." Ruka resumed to his patting Usagi until he blurted out a question again. "What do you really think about her, Natsume?"

The entire room was silent for a moment and all seven of them merely listened to the stretch of empty air. It occurred to Yuu that Natsume's answer to the question was fully obvious, but he never really knew what went on through the fire caster's mind whenever Mikan was mentioned. It had all been abstracted that he had feelings for the girl, but no one really heard him say it out loud yet. They always said actions speak louder than words, but to Yuu it was always better to really hear it being said, because actions are often misunderstood the way words are underestimated.

"She's all sunshine and butterflies," Natsume said.

Ruka seemed surprised that Natsume would answer. "Na- Natsume…"

"She's this bag of tricks and she's all purple and yellow and orange and it's so annoying." He flicked a page of his manga nonchalantly, but his voice, Yuu could tell, was reveling and amazed and joyful. He rarely heard Natsume speak with so much hidden happiness. "She's loud and obnoxious, and everyone thinks so too, but she's like pastry, no one can say no. It's even more annoying. She mumbles names when she sleeps and she dreams of fluff puffs and wakes up with drool all over her pillow. She drinks the orange juice you give her everyday but she secretly hates it because her favorite flavor is strawberry."

"How did you know that?"

"Underwear."

Ruka laughed, and if Yuu hadn't held himself he would have laughed hard as well.

Then silence again, and when Natsume broke the strained silence, he was searching for words. "I don't believe it," Koko whispered to him. "His thoughts only contain pictures… he's literally speechless."

"I… could kind of imagine our futures with her. She'd be organizing parties… and pack lunches and try to cook omelet and fail. She brought us together, all of us. I would never have imagined letting Imai sleep on my bed, frankly." Natsume laughed a little. "She would be the center of our universe. She is, like… like gravity to all of us. We're her satellites, and without her I think we'd all be lost.

"She reminds me of spring… of days when Aoi and I would go to our backyard and play and we weren't in the Academy then. She's a huge reminder of the childhood I lost, and she makes me relive those days without flinching in fear or imagining the horrors of a huge fire swallowing up the entire town… she—makes me feel like I have so much time in the world. And she makes everyone think of days when life would be normal again, the way they've known their lives before. The Academy's a long bout of winter… but she's… she's…"

"Sunshine… and butterflies." The words rolled of Ruka's tongue perfectly, as if it had been him who said it. Yuu marveled at how, indeed, the words seemed perfect for Mikan.

"I think she's… everything we all are."

It was Ruka's turn to be at a loss for words.

The silence that followed Natsume's words was absolute. No one dared speak anymore until Ruka stood up, his padded footsteps heard against the carpeted floor to which Yuu's ear was pressed. "Good night, Natsume."

"Mm." A grunt of assent.

Yuu had been given a lot to think about, but for now, the words resounded in his head like a midnight lullaby the drifted him off to sleep so easily. Natsume was right about everything she was.

A spring in an eternal winter. Sunshine and butterflies.


End file.
